It’s been 13 years since John Beilein last walked the sideline as West Virginia University’s basketball coach. His last game ended with the Mountaineers hoisting the NIT championship trophy at midcourt of Madison Square Garden.
In retrospect, Beilein’s last game could not have happened in a more fitting place. It was on that same glossy hardwood that WVU became media darlings just two years earlier. The Mountaineers improbable run to the Big East 2005 title game served as a catalyst for an NCAA fantasy ride that ended heartbreakingly close to the Final Four.
It was a special time in West Virginia’s basketball history.